PANDORA'S BOX

Lusamine kept objects of intrigue, not just because of her curiosity, but because of her belief that there was something more to them that had been swallowed by the great maw of forgotten history.

And as she cautiously turns the corner, prepare to engage in battle with a potentially dangerous intruder-- she come face to face with a figure that had clawed her way out of that black hole.

The woman stood with the presence of an ancient obelisk, imposing, yet inviting-- her aura whispering secrets, an invitation to anyone who was willing to reach out and indulge. Taller than practically any human being that Lusamine Delacroix had ever encountered, she dwarfs even her, a woman of above average stature.

" What are you doing on my property? " Her words come out sharply, betraying the bewilderment in her eyes as Lusamine looks between the stranger and her ghostly companion. That had to be the culprit. Teleportation onto the Aether Paradise was a highly unusual method of making an appearance; her security system usually prevented such interference.

Clearly, this was someone of a higher magnitude than Lusamine could have ever prepared to face.

" You. . . "

The features of her face, the clothing, that look in her eyes. It seemed so familiar. Where had she seen this face before? And why had she so effortlessly disarmed the frigid parasite queen?

temptation to cut the other off if only to be drawn in by the curiosity of the words that came after. corners of her lips rising with a spark of a kind of joy in her eyes. half squinted with brows raised as she tapped her lips then lowered her arms to cross behind her back, her movement a mix of honey and ooze--smooth and made in arcs, carefully practiced and pruned of any error.

" i would be terribly sad if you didn't know me. " saying 'of me' would have made her distant, she wanted to be close. close gave people comfort, it made them feel important. most people took the bait, biting the hand that fed--that hand made of sweet berries, not even comprehending the thorns beneath the surface, simply eating away as their minds and bodies were entrapped and in a growing debt.

" though i'm sad to say i don't know you...i'd like to, however. i can clearly tell you are something special, i like you already. "

a chirp of laughter, like a fletchling's call. in all honesty, vasil hadn't even thought to ask or take too much time to see who's house she was invading to get the bottle back. that wasn't all too important--assuming it was some collector or foolish individual that liked trinkets they never understood...but when it was something like this woman, she supposed to was more important to observe than to jump into things. then again, could anyone blame her for her excitement?

though her smile soon turned faux frown when she rolled back to the actual question being thrown at her.

@hardjinnger || Vasil steals her cool bottle back

On days where her mind was restless, Lusamine enjoyed looking over her collection of curios. She had come to possess many unusual artifacts, some of them retrieved from expedition sites, others gifted to her by colleagues.

These belongings were kept in her personal study. Her residency on the opposite side of the artificial island housed many things that she preferred not to keep floating around in the main building of the Aether Paradise.

She meanders through the room, thoughtfully tracing her fingertips against glass display cases on shelves, and carefully mounted frames on the wall. Occasionally, Lusamine stops to admire something that catches her eye: a century old field note written about an encounter with the mythical Pokémon Mew, a piece of lava rock from the dead caldera of Mt. Coronet, a sapphire pendant pulled from the wreckage of a ship off the coast of Seaport-- only to name a few.

Eventually, she makes her rounds to one of the taller display cases, dedicated to larger pieces. Lusamine idly crosses her arms, eyes scanning it-- only to find that something was missing.

" Hmh. "

The strange ceramic bottle she won in an auction in Kalos some time ago.

The case was not broken, showing no evidence of a break in or theft-- had a housekeeper removed it to dust and failed to return it? Unlikely. Her house staff knew better than that.

her reach crippled and influence decomposed in the dirt, left to rot. as far as she could tell, there was so little of her name mentioned any longer, spare the occasional mention in history...spare the negativity those that opposed her had baked into the words of books as supposed truth. nails seemed to almost dig into the bottle, only released when she felt a light tug from the little paws of hoopa.

a halt in her movement, sun-stolen eyes narrowing and glancing back while white irises bore into the other. she really did need her sword, it made people getting in the way so much easier to work with.

" mmh? " a twitch of her brow and she looked more empty the longer the psychic pokemon's words flowed through her mind. what a...particular predicament.

" i was wondering who owned this place, it truly is peculiar. "

a glance back forward, palm pressing against her face, then pinching the bridge of her nose. there was of course the temptation to just tell her companion to portal out...but someone with so many artifacts--with a facility that seemed otherworldly to her. it could be beneficial. she opened her coat and slid the bottle into one of her many pockets, then folded the red fabric back together. she turned herself completely to face where she had left, finger to her lips as she gently tapped. otherworldly was right, a strange feeling. she wondered if there were any crystals nearby, how far was the sundial now?